I wasn’t planning to write my first actual food post for another day or two. However, I had an experience that I thought well worth sharing. I was given a tip that a wonderful dish was prepared by Peter Shelby, the head Chef at the Knoll House. So, of course I had to try it.

I wasn’t sure exactly what he had prepared, so I was surprised to be greeted with pot pie. Pot pie, was a staple of sorts in my house while growing up. It was so much of a staple in fact that I believe the last time I ate one was in 1984. I even avoided pot pie when all of my friends and colleagues would rave about the pot pies at the Hotel Harrington, in Washington, DC.

I don’t ever remember a pot pie being as savory as the one that was placed in front of me yesterday. Pete prepared a chicken, ham and leek pot pie in a bechamel sauce that was baked into a simple yet perfectly prepared and flaky shell.

The other big surprise for me that I actually ate and enjoyed leeks. For some reason I have always avoided leeks. Had I known what I was eating at the time I would have picked out all those bits of leek. Fortunately the translation of “praz” came well after I had completed my meal.

The other evening I had another such experience, where I ate and enjoyed something I would have never normally eaten. I will be talking about this a little later when I write my piece on some of the pastries that I have enjoyed, but it involved a traditional Austrian cake topped with meringue.

Dear All, I am sorry that I have been away for a while. When I say that I have been away for a while, I mean that I have not posted anything for The Culinary Council in quite some time. Some of you know that I have posted things on some other topics, that were promptly and extensively misquoted. However, I have not done any food posts. The reason I haven’t posted anything food related in a while is because for most of the month of June, I was in and out of the hospital, alternating between an only IV, clear liquid and an all-liquid diet.

After I was finally released from the hospital I was still on a fairly strict diet, and once I was given the doctors permission to “eat whatever I want”, I was a bit slow getting back up to full speed. This was in large part due to the limited food options where I live, and not having the energy to really cook for myself. I knew this at the time, but my favorite Szechuan style, Chinese restaurant, Little Szechuan in State College, PA, is closed for the entire month of July for renovations.

One might be wondering why I have never mentioned Little Szechuan in print before. I’ve never mentioned it in print before because, I was being selfish. I didn’t want this place mobbed. However, I’m over this particular selfishness and I want to do everything I can to ensure the success of Little Szechuan. I will be writing more about little Szechuan after they have completed their renovations.

I happen to be in England at the moment. I’m here on a private pilgrimage and to convalesce. I may write more about this later, but I suspect I will not. Regardless, in the coming days I will be posting a series of articles about the food that is available in some of the coastal towns of southern England, including Swanage, Bournemouth and Studland Bay.